David Heasman brings up an interesting point. As information storage and
recall becomes more complex its connectivity decreases. 78 rpm records
require a fairly simple and inexpensive technology to recall their data. A
DAT requires a more complex and a much more expensive technology.
Today's technology is based on a much shorter life cycle. A generation is
only a few years long. Most of us were around when 9 track tape was state of
the art. Since then, less than twenty years ago, we have gone from  DDS to
DAT, DAT to CD, CD to DVD and so on. Will their be a working DAT drive in
100 years? Will the material that the media is made of last 100 years?
By comparison we know papyrus and clay cylinders will last for millennia. As
for the recall technology, eyeballs have been around as long as people.
Simplicity and connectivity have a direct correlation. I am not sure what
the formula is but like Moore's law there must be one.
This is not a Luddite plea to go backwards or even an appeal to stop going
forward. I am just pointing out that if we are to add to the knowledge base
for our posterity we must constantly renew the "old knowledge" on new
technology. In some areas we are doing so, e.g. digitalizing old recordings
and movies. I also think that it behooves us to keep the old technology in
working order so we can view the original in its true form. (On that note
let me thank Ed Sharpe and others that are doing just that.)
Record those thoughts. Store those thoughts. Make those thoughts accessible.
Let Peace be the maxim by which we act because we will Peace to become a
universal law.
Work For Peace
The opinions expressed herein are my own and not necessarily those of my
employer.
Yosef Rosenblatt

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